Snow and ice removal from roadways and airport runways is deemed to be a necessity in order to enable people to safely travel on the roadways and runways. Scraping blades are usually utilized for this purpose. The scraping blades are mounted on to the front of the vehicle or the underside thereof intermediate the wheels. Oftentimes, mere use of the scraping blade is not enough in that a layer of packed snow and/or ice remains on the roadway and airport runway. As a result, and on roadways, sand or other particulate, such as particulate salt, are spread onto the roadway in order to effect a melting of the packed snow and/or ice to enable the slush that is created to be removed from the roadway by road scraping equipment. However, and over the years, salt has been found to be harmful to the environment and, particularly, harmful to the infra-structure, namely, bridge constructions and the like by reason of the fact that salt destroys the supporting structure of the bridges.
At airports, removal of snow and/or ice from the airport runways is deemed essential in order to enable the aircraft to be safely controlled while on the ground. Airports have traditionally used scraping blades that are approximately 20 feet wide to effect snow removal from the runways. In addition, runway maintenance has not been able to incorporate the use of particulate substances to enhance traction and/or enhance snow melting because of the possibility that the particulate will be ingested into the aircraft engines effecting a destruction thereof. Thus, runway maintenance has incorporated the use of a liquid deicer solution which is sprayed onto the runways well after the snow has been removed therefrom. For example, and at small airports, a runway supervisor will, after a snowy night, first initiate snow removal via a first vehicle and before the first plane is to land or takeoff. A second vehicle, usually a tank truck loaded with a liquid deicer solution, will move up and down the runway spraying the liquid deicer onto the runway to convert any snow and/or ice thereon to a liquid. On a sunny day, the sun will usually dry the runway. The liquid deicer will create a slush, if it is snowing, which slush is movable by the scraper blade. Ice is not movable. Thus, the procedure for rendering a runway usable normally involves a first vehicle equipped with scraping equipment to move along the runway to effect snow removal and shortly thereafter, a second vehicle in the form of a tank truck equipped with spraying equipment moves along the same runway spraying liquid deicer onto the runway to effect a conversion of any remaining snow and/or ice into a liquid. The use of multiple vehicles in order to accomplish this task is obviously expensive.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a scraping blade for use with a vehicle having a liquid dispensing structure oriented on the side of the blade facing the rear of the vehicle when the blade is mounted on the vehicle.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a scraping blade, as aforesaid, wherein the liquid dispensing structure is oriented beneath the structure that facilitates a connection of the road scraping blade to the vehicle so that no liquid dispensed from the liquid dispensing structure will spray onto the coupling structure.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a scraping blade, as aforesaid, wherein the vehicle on which the scraping blade is mounted has a liquid storage tank thereon and from which liquid is delivered to the liquid dispensing structure.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a scraping blade, as aforesaid, which is durable, easily maintained and utilizes standard structure for facilitating a connection of the blade to the vehicle.